Rising Damp - ITV Sitcom - British Comedy Guide Ronnie Baxter and Vernon Lawrence An unnamed northern university town is home to Rupert Rigsby, landlord of arguably the seediest, most run-down boarding house that England has to offer. His unlucky tenants include Ruth Jones, an administrator at the university; Alan, a medical student; and Philip, who is studying town and country planning. Between them, Alan and Philip are the focus and foil of the majority of Rigsby's many prejudices, usually at the expense of his dignity and standing in the eyes of Miss Jones, with whom he is hopelessly and pathetically in love. LeonardRossiter.com: Rigsby Online - Story of Rising Damp - The TV Series See Main Biographies page for appearances and biographies. Rupert Rigsby played by Leonard Rossiter Landlord of the boarding house. Extremely prejudiced, especially toward students and blacks (examples of both of which reside in his home). Married (Veronica, during wartime, and on pain of death by her father's shotgun), but now separated. Has a shoplifting brother, Ron, in Accrington.

Wears one set of clothes: holey green cardigan, minus most buttons, shiny grey trousers, worn red slippers (but still has his demob suit, minus its pockets' linings). Participation in World War II sketchy at best. Has tendency to embellish war stories. Dislikes children (after receiving a singed beard while playing Santa one Christmas). Has barred any romance in the house (probably based on jealousy). Lusts after Ruth Jones, a tenant and spinster. Only companion is Vienna, his flea-bitten cat. Ruth Jones played by Frances de la Tour Tenant of the boarding house. University administrator, responsible for the accommodation of students.Thirty-something spinster with few previous beaus (one being a policeman who always wore his uniform, hence the need to keep swinging their arms to show they weren't handcuffed together). Has brought a womanly touch to the dingy lodgings (eg. blue water in the toilet) and never complains about her room (unlike the other tenants). Continually rebuffs Rigsby's advances. Lusts after black student tenant Philip Smith, but eventually falls in love with and moves out to live with librarian Desmond, but returns after it doesn't work out.

Eventually accepts Rigsby's hand in marriage but gets cold feet before the service. Alan Moore played by Richard Beckinsale Tenant of the boarding house. Medical student at the local university. A kind, gentle sort of chap, with boyish good looks, which have, nevertheless, resulted in a noticeable absence of girlfriends, despite his boasting to the contrary. Still very much under his parents' wings (he goes home at the weekends), he is rather cowardly and gullible, but enjoys playing tricks on Rigsby with his room-mate Philip Smith. Graduates as a doctor and leaves the house. Philip Smith played by Don Warrington Tenant of the boarding house. Town and country planning student at the local university. Alleges he is from Africa and has ten wives. A black, well-spoken, well-dressed gentleman, with tribal makrs and a long history of girlfriends, much to the annoyance of room-mate Alan. Is lusted after by Miss Jones, much to the annoyance of Rigsby. Has no interest in Miss Jones, much to the annoyance of Miss Jones. Is often the butt of Rigsby's racist, bigoted comments.

The Series Series One was broadcast from December 13th 1974 to January 17th 1975, and was an immediate success. It was a personal triumph for Leonard Rossiter, his first sitcom role. Each week, viewers learned more and more about each of the characters. Rigsby would go to even greater lengths to win affection from Miss Jones, while being victim to Alan and Philip's pranks. Rigsby would carry around his overweight, slothful cat Vienna (which Leonard hated off-set. Although a cat-lover, he used to complain that Vienna smelled awful), barging into the boys' room without knocking, trying to catch them 'up to something', which they never were. Mocking Philip, his race and his culture, while trying to be a father-figure to Alan, Rigsby came over as cold, pretentious and chauvinistic, but at the same time vulnerable, a sad, lonely figure of a man who longed for love and happiness in his twilight years. As Eric Chappell says: "Rigsby wanted to be part of their lives, which became irritating for them...

and he was always coming through doors without knocking, saying he had right of access - which really meant access to their lives, not just their rooms." The first series of any sitcom is much concerned with establishing the characters and their lives, and Eric displayed this very well in the scripts, which often drew on the script from The Banana Box. We learn that Rigsby did marry, a battle-axe called Veronica, but he was 'elated' when she left him. He was a soldier in World War Two, and would get out his mementoes or relate one of his yarns at the slightest mention of the war. Leonard once said of Rigsby: "I knew people like this. I've sat in pubs with them." And Don Warrington concurs: "I think he really caught something about the English in Rigsby - a sort of emotional incontinence which one can see in pubs. The one who knows it all and actually knows nothing. He got that brilliantly." The second series ran from November 7th until December 19th 1975, and saw further development of the characters.

In Episode Four (' Moonlight & Roses '), Miss Jones is swept off her feet by a librarian named Desmond (played by Robin Parkinson), and her departure rocks Rigsby's world - until Alan installs artists' nude model Brenda (played by Gay Rose) into the vacant room. A conman (Henry McGee) plays on Rigsby's gullibility to take his money (' The Perfect Gentleman '), and the tenants have the last laugh when he tries to convince them that the house is haunted by a 'grey lady' (' Things That Go Bump In The Night '). Although ending on December 19th, the series appeared to continue for another week when a Boxing Day special was broadcast on December 26th entitled ' For The Man Who Has Everything ', which sees Rigsby spending Christmas alone, opening his own Christmas card, and hoping he will catch someone under the mistletoe. The boys return home early for some yuletide romancing, thinking Rigsby is spending the festive season away.

A delay in the writing of episodes caused conflict with theatre commitments for Frances, resulting in her being written out of the episodes The Perfect Gentleman , The Last Of The Big Spenders , Things That Go Bump In The Night and the Christmas special For The Man Who Has Everything . Rising Damp was absent from British screens for the whole of 1976 (except for repeats). This was due to Leonard's contract with the BBC filming The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin . But Rising Damp returned for a third series on April 12th 1977. Babies (' That's My Boy '), snakes (' Fawcett's Python '), a gay playwright (' Stage Struck ') and a hypochondriac (' Suddenly At Home ') all descend on 'Bleak House' for another seven episodes of brilliantly-written and even more brilliantly-acted sitcom fun. Frances de la Tour returned as Miss Jones, and Peter Bowles, Derek Francis, Ann Beach and Roger Brierley were among the guest stars for Series Three which ran until May 24th. By now, Richard Beckinsale had another successful series under his belt, Porridge, with Ronnie Barker.

And Leonard had created another character of sitcom legend, over on BBC1. For those who had never seen Leonard on stage, the appearance of such disparate characters as Rigsby and Reginald Perrin gave the viewing public the opinion that theatre critics had long- known: that Leonard Rossiter was a fantastically versatile actor, hugely-talented, committing staggering energy and vitality to both performances on both channels. "I have never known such energy and such pace", recalls Eric Chappell. "He could speak quicker than most people, and he could think about three different things at the same time, which was useful! He'd be remembering his lines, watching the set and the actors, and watching where the cameras were. He was really in control." Another year was to pass before Rising Damp's fourth and final series was aired. It featured just six episodes instead of the usual seven, for the simple reason that YTV forgot to commission a seventh! (Eric's scripts for Rising Damp were commissioned individually). The series ran from April 4th to May 9th 1978, and saw some of the funniest episodes of all, and commanding massive audience figures of over 18 million.

Richard Beckinsale had left to pursue theatre commitments and the series' director Ronnie Baxter had left to direct In Loving Memory, so Vernon Lawrence took over the directorship. Nevertheless, the fourth series lost none of its quality: ' Great Expectations ' co-starred Andrew Sachs and Gretchen Franklin in a family inheritance tale that goes sour, but turns out for the best in the end. In 'Pink Carnations', a desperate Rigsby places an ad in a lonely-hearts column, only to have it answered by Miss Jones. And in the final episode, Rigsby finally proposes to Miss Jones, who accepts. Sadly, she stands him up at the church, only to find that Rigsby had gone to the wrong church anyway. And so Rising Damp, one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, came to an end. It had won itself a BAFTA for Best Comedy, rocketed Leonard Rossiter to stardom and the comedy Hall of Fame, and it had served as a springboard for the writer Eric Chappell, who went on to write other classic situation comedies including Singles, The Bounder, Haggard, Home To Roost, Duty Free and Only When I Laugh.

The perfection of the scripts, the massive talents of the actors involved, and the timelessness of the stories and settings ensure Rising Damp is as popular today as it has always been. LeonardRossiter.com: Rigsby Online - Main Cast Biographies Leonard Rossiter ~ Richard Beckinsale ~ Frances de la Tour ~ Don Warrington Leonard Rossiter played boarding house landlord Rooksby in the original play The Banana Box and Rupert Rigsby in all 28 episodes of the TV series and The Movie . Leonard Rossiter was born on October 21st, 1926 in Liverpool. Unable to afford to go to university, he worked in an insurance office until he was 27, when he joined Preston repertory company and made his professional stage debut in The Gay Dog. After Preston, he starred in productions at Wolverhampton, Salisbury and The Old Vic Company at Bristol's Theatre Royal.

In 1962 he made his first big-screen appearance in A Kind of Loving, followed by other films throughout the 1960s, including Billy Liar, King Rat and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and TV appearances such as Z Cars, The Avengers and Steptoe and Son. His portrayal of Adolf Hitler in the 1969 play The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui made him a West End star. His roles as Rigsby in Rising Damp and the title role in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin made him a household name, and his Cinzano commercials with Joan Collins were comic masterpieces. A keen sportsman, he excelled in squash, tennis and football. He was also a connoisseur of fine wines. His busy career came to a tragically premature end on October 5th 1984, just sixteen days short of his 58th birthday. During a performance of Joe Orton's play Loot, Leonard suffered a heart attack in his dressing room. He was married to actress Gillian Raine and had a daughter, Camilla. See Leonard Rossiter.com for a vastly-expanded biography and a complete, illustrated career guide.

Remembering Rising Damp: - "...Very, very rarely - only on about two occasions - have I thought 'Ah, this gives me all the things that I can do really well'. One of them was Rising Damp..." - "I recognised a lot of things Eric [Chappell] wrote, coming from the North - I come from Liverpool. Of being very jealous about the young people of today regarding sex and so on. That's very Rigsby, but I recognise it from when I grew up." - "Of course, the difficulty with comedy series, as I think most people realise, is that the first two are often quite good and then they begin to tail off afterwards. And I reckon that Eric was capable of writing at least six good scripts, so I did the first series without any qualms. The difficulty came afterwards in doing the second series, as to whether Eric could keep up the standard he had set himself, and I asked him before we did them if he would be able to write them, and he said "I didn't know I could write the first six!"." - "I knew people like this [Rigsby].

I've sat in pubs with them." - (On The Movie) "I was approached and was delighted to play Rigsby again. It is the funniest character I have everplayed. Eric Chappell is a marvellous writer. Anyhow, as we will never make another series, generations will be able to enjoy it. It's not the sot of film to date." Notable Credits: Theatre - Semi-Detached (Fred Midway), The Banana Box (Rupert Rigsby), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Arturo Ui), The Immortal Haydon (Haydon), The Strange Case of Martin Richter (Martin Richter), The Rules of the Game (Leone Gala). TV - Rising Damp (Rupert Rigsby), The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin (Reginald Iolanthe Perrin), BBC3, I Tell You It's Burt Reynolds (Leonard), The Losers (Sydney Foskett), Z Cars (Det. Insp. Bamber), Tripper's Day (Norman Tripper), Play For Today, Pygmalion Smith (Smithy).

Film - A Kind Of Loving (Whymper), Billy Liar (Mr. Shadrack), This Sporting Life (Phillips), Oliver! (Mr. Sowerberry), King Rat (Col. McCoy), 2001:A Space Odyssey (Andre Smyslov), Water (Sir Malcolm Leveridge), Barry Lyndon (Capt. Quin), Le Petomane (Monsieur Pujol). Frances de la Tour played spinster college administrator Ruth Jones in the London performances of the original play The Banana Box , 24 of the 28 episodes of the TV series and The Movie . A delay in the writing of episodes caused conflict with theatre commitments for Frances, resulting in her being written out of the episodes The Perfect Gentleman , The Last Of The Big Spenders , Things That Go Bump In The Night and the Christmas special For The Man Who Has Everything . Frances de la Tour was born in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire on 30th July 1944.

After graduating from The Drama Centre, she joined the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) in 1965, but left after six years, dissatisfied with the "limited casting" she was constantly offered, including 'The Bumpkin' in As You Like It. She was determined to perform in more demanding, challenging roles - she once played the lead role (ie. a male) in Hamlet! By the early 1970s, Frances had appeared in a number of films, such as Every Home Should Have One and Our Miss Fred, but she still concentrated on developing her acting style on stage. On 17th May 1973, Frances took over the role of Ruth Jones in Eric Chappell's play The Banana Box at the Hampstead Theatre Club in London (the role was previously played by Heather Canning, Janet Michael and Rosemary Leach). By the time the play ended its run on 24th July at The Apollo theatre, plans were already afoot to bring the story to television, and Frances was to continue in her role as Miss Jones.

The series bought her fame, but also an unwanted, typecast label of "that woman who played Miss Jones", which annoys her to this day. And with reason, for Frances de la Tour is no "one-hit wonder". She has appeared in a seemingly endless number of plays across the UK and on Broadway, and the number of awards she has won for her roles proves not only that the RSC never saw her true worth, but also that she is now without doubt one of this country's finest theatre actresses. These awards include Olivier Award for Best Actress (for Josie in A Moon For The Misbegotten) and both the Evening Standard Best Actress award and Society of West End Theatres Best Actress award (for Stephanie in Duet For One, a play written for her by former partner Tom Kempinski). She continued her TV and movie roles during this time, including films such as To The Devil A Daughter, The Time Bandits and Rising Damp: The Movie (for which she received the Best Actress award from the Evening Standard), in addition to raising her son Josh and daughter Tamasin.

Her television appearances have included Flickers, two series of the sitcom A Kind Of Living (in which she played opposite Richard Griffiths and Tim Healy as an unemployed mother of an unnamed baby, referred to only as Og), Downwardly Mobile and Dennis Potter's futuristic Cold Lazarus. She was introduced to a new generation of viewers when appearing as Madame Maxime in two Harry Potter films, as well as Aunt Imogene in Tim Burton's retelling of Alice In Wonderland. In 2013 Frances returned to the sitcom genre in ITV's comedy Vicious, opposite Sir Derek Jacobi and Sir Ian McKellern. Remembering Rising Damp: - "...I was brought up a little like her [Miss Jones] - she has middle-class values and these were instilled into me when I was young - but there the similarity ends...I was able to draw upon my own background experience in creating her." - "Leonard was one of the great farce actors of all time. He was nervous, vulnerable, a slave-driver, no more punishable to others than he was to himself in his drive for perfection.

And we all got the giggles on numerous occasions." - "We laughed a lot on set, but comedy is a serious business and Leonard took it particularly seriously, and rightly so." - "Miss Jones was the most underwritten part, and it got better because of Frances. In the end, as I got to know the character and actress better, I was able to feed her the lines she could use so perfectly, especially with the quaint coyness she adopted...I'm very pleased with how she [Miss Jones] turned out, largely because of Frances." - Eric Chappell. - (On The Movie) "...But when the film finishes I won't be sorry. I have enjoyed the part but five years is long enough. The film is like the icing on a good cake. And it's nice to go out with a bang and not a whimper." - "she is one of the most under-rated actresses in Britain. If she was workng in the States she would be in huge demand." - Joe McGrath, direct Rising Damp: The Movie.

Notable Credits: Theatre - Hamlet (The Prince); A Moon For The Misbegotten (Josie); Duet For One (Stephanie); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena); Small Craft Warnings (Violet); Antony and Cleopatra (Cleopatra). TV - Rising Damp (Ruth Jones); Flickers (Maud Cole); A Kind of Living (Carol Beazley); Cold Lazarus (Emma Porlock). Film - Rising Damp (Ruth Jones); Strike It Rich (Mrs. deVere); The Cherry Orchard (Charlotte Ivanovna). Links: IMDB - Article & Interview Don Warrington MBE played Town and Country Planning student Philip Smith in all but the Leicester performances of the original play The Banana Box , all 28 episodes of the TV series , and a medical student in The Movie . Don Warrington was born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad on May 23rd 1952. His father was the politician Basil Kydd. He moved with his family to England when he was five years old, and settled in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

One of very few black families in the North East at the time, he had the nickname 'The Pele Kid' at school. With a theatrical interest since his childhood, Don left school and started work at Newcastle's Playhouse Theatre, where he worked his way up to ASM (assistant stage manager). Determined to become a full-time actor, he moved to London in 1969 where he trained at The Drama Centre for three years. This helped him land a part in the controversial play Hair, with which he toured Europe in 1972. The following year was to be Don's breakthrough as an actor. As well as roles at Lincoln Rep. including Measure For Measure, Erpingham Camp and A Taste Of Honey, he also landed the part of the black student Philip Smith in Eric Chappell's play The Banana Box. When the play became a TV series, it was Don who again got the part, his first television role, for which he was paid £150 per episode to begin with, an amount he now describes as "a fabulous sum back then". It was to become his most famous.

Many other TV roles were to follow for Don, including three series of the female cops drama C.A.T.S Eyes, To Play The King and The Arabian Nights. The movie version of Rising Damp in 1980 (in which Philip revealed he was from Croydon and not an African chief with ten wives) was Don's first big-screen role, and he has since appeared in other films including Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, Babymother and Lighthouse. Don Warrington has continued to return to his first love - the theatre, with major parts in Macbeth, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Ear, Nose and Throat. He can also be seen in commercials on TV for the coffee company Kenco. He lives in Shepherd's Bush, London with his wife of 20 years. They have two children: Jake and Archie. Don was awarded the MBE in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours. He was recently a contestant on BBC celebrity dancing show Strictly Come Dancing . Remembering Rising Damp: - "Len was always very concerned about the fact that comedy is about what happens between people.

It's not about a close-up here or a close-up there - it's the relationship. And that's what we worked at - that if we found the relationship, then it would be funny." - "Whoever came into contact with him [Richard] was immediately put at ease, and that was vital in Rising Damp. And Len really loved Richard, he thought he was wonderful. Whatever mood Len was in, Richard would come in and his mood would change - which was great for everybody." - "The effort that he [Len] put into those shows was phenomenal. At the end of it sometimes the man was absolutely exhausted. The passion that was there was frightening..." - "He [Len] was amazed at how successful Rising Damp was. He'd spent years doing these incredibly difficult parts, and then this part comes along which was as easy as falling off a log for him, and it makes him into a gigantic star." - "...He was learning the trade as he went along, and the pure fact that he came into the show and survived says much for his guts and determination." "One of his strengths was the ability to play an upper-crust, well-bred gentleman, which helped enormously.

Don played a rather aloof man who was world-weary, qualities which we wanted." - Eric Chappell. - (On The Movie) "I shall be sorry to see the end of Philip... I started with the play The Banana Box and have been with it ever since. Philip's comedy was that he was more English than the English and yet black - a difficult part - it could so easily have been caricatured. I have a lot to thank Philip for." - "I have only good memories of Rising Damp although they are, of course, old memories. As it was my first television I had nothing with which to compare the experience. It was a steep learning curve for me." Notable Credits: Theatre - Julius Caesar; Hamlet; Dispatches; Dutchman; Streamers; Alterations; Caesar and Cleopatra; The Passion; Ear, Nose and Throat; Hair; A Taste Of Honey; The Banana Box; Eldorado. TV - Rising Damp; C.A.T.S. Eyes; To Play The King; Doctor Who; Crown Court; Red Dwarf; Fairly Secret Army; The XYY Man; Lovejoy; Backup; Trial and Retribution; Manchild.

Film - Rising Damp; Camping; Hamlet; Babymother; Lighthouse; Black XXX-mas; The Last Giraffe. "Rising Damp" Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb trailers and videos full cast and crew trivia official sites memorable quotes Overview 26 out of 29 people found the following review useful: The likable bigot from the 1970's!, from Gibraltar 6 July 2006 Rigsby was the third of the golden trio of bigots on British TV sit coms in the 70's, the others of course being Alf Garnet and Eddie Booth. Alf Garnet was an obnoxious and overbearing loud-mouth who never knew when to shut up ( he mellowed a bit by the 1980's in the revamped IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH). LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR was a comedy centered at all times on blatant "in your face" racial goading as well as infantile boorish insults that even back then was tiresome . I can't say this about RISING DAMP or the main character Rigsby.

Sure racial remarks were part and parcel of Rigsbys repertoire.For example in one episode you only had to look at the expression on Rigsbys face to see what he was thinking when Philip said he did not like the color of an ashened face sick tenant, or the episode when Rigsby mocked hunger and poverty in Africa! However, by contrast with RISING DAMP you could also laugh at Rigsbys Scrooge like and eccentric behavior over money and his shortcomings when dealing with women; i.e his narcissistic obsession over Miss Jones is point in case. No matter how hard he worked he couldn't get this man hungry spinster to take an interest in him! In addition his pre WWII upbringing and social values were often at odds with the social changes in 1970's, i.e long haired students living on a grant. Also his insensitivity and impatience towards his tenants and their problems provided an extra dimension of comedy. In one episode he was trying to reason with a suicidal tenant to come down off his roof rather than jump then asked him while up there if he could straighten the TV aerial to improve the reception.

This was a real party piece that had a Tony Hancock style of incompetence to it rather than it being mean spirited. He was not well educated but he was likable and despite obvious flaws in his character, when forced to, often displayed loyalty towards Alan and Philip despite there different values. For example in the episode PERMISSIVE SOCIETY he stood up and confronted an irate father of one of Alans girl friend's also, in the episode NIGHT OUT he stood no nonsense and made a fool of the waiter and insulted the owner. Lastly, women were not spared Rigsbys rudeness, the episode WINE AND ROSES he runs into an old battle-axe who he mistakingly thinks is his blind date. "I've never been so insulted in all my life" she barks, "well you should try to go out more often!" Rigsby snaps -- utterly hilarious. I.e. he spread his ignorance and rudeness evenly across class and gender boundaries! Politically incorrect? Of course, what isn't nowadays, yet, certainly watchable today which I can't say for TILL DEATH AS DO PART or LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR. Was the above review useful to you?

24 out of 26 people found the following review useful: I.T.V.'s Best-Ever Sitcom from Ambrosia 11 August 2006 'Rising Damp' was recently repeated on I.T.V.-1 in an afternoon slot, and some chump wrote an angry letter to 'Teletext', claiming that the show 'was axed due to its racist content'. Nobody bothered to correct him. 'Rising Damp' ran for four successful seasons in the '70's, only coming to an end because it had reached the end of its natural life. Yes, 'Rigsby' is ignorant when it comes to foreign cultures, but a racist? I think not. If he were, he'd never have tolerated Philip in his house, son of a chieftain or not. Besides, the complainant seems to have overlooked Frances De La Tour's wonderfully prissy 'Ruth', Don Warrington as the clever and charming Phillip, the late Richard Beckinsale as naive medical student 'Alan' and, of course, the magnificent, much-missed Leonard Rossiter as the seedy landlord 'Rigsby'.

This superb cast, combined with the fabulous scripts by Eric Chappell, made 'Rising Damp' a classic, one that has not diminished with age. I pity those unable to appreciate its greatness. Was the above review useful to you? 18 out of 19 people found the following review useful: Satire, not spleen from United Kingdom 10 May 2009 Despite the fact that many posters seem to think Rising Damp was guilty of racism, the reverse was actually true. Don Warrington's character Philip was often the target of boorish remarks by Leonard Rossiter's landlord Rigsby (not really malicious by the standards of 1970s England, just ignorant: a real 1970s racist wouldn't rent a room in his own house to a black man anyway), but it's Rigsby that we find ridiculous, not Philip. Throughout the series, Philip is consistently portrayed as the most intelligent, charming, attractive, sophisticated and grown-up of all the characters, and he's certainly no deferential Uncle Tom. ... that's not racism, is it? Was the above review useful to you?

14 out of 18 people found the following review useful: wonderful from United Kingdom 24 February 2005 'Rising Damp' is shown pretty regularly on TV all these years after production ceased on the series, which must be a testament to its staying power. Set in a grimy house where landlord Rigsby and his tenants (the refined Miss Jones, object of his affections; Alan, a long-haired student of medicine who never seemed to do anything useful; and Philip, a black man of tribal descent, possibly ...) rubbed along together week by week, with new lodgers coming and going, and Rigsby continuing his relentless pursuit of Miss Jones, 'Rising Damp' was pretty much perfect. Not dated at all when viewed recently, these are genuinely comic characters (especially the excellent performance of the peerless Leonard Rossiter as Rigsby) in amusing situations. Rather like Rigsby's cat, Vienna, we sit back and watch with interest as events unfold and entertain us. I loved it.

Laurels all round (Frances de La Tour, who is an accomplished dramatic actress on stage aside from her comedy work here, as Miss Jones; Don Warrington, still around and not looking much older, as Philip; and lovely Richard Beckinsale, who sadly died in his early thirties at the end of the 1970s, as Alan) and long may the brown door and that tinkly pub piano theme grace our screens. Was the above review useful to you? 6 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Rising Tension. from Oldham, Gtr Manchester, England. 14 May 2007 This is what sometimes happens when you're a student and you've only got enough money to live in a dingy hovel... you get a landlord like Rigsby. What few standards he has are outdated, so sensitive lads with long hair and intelligent young black men are almost too much to take. Leonard Rossiter's portrayal of a character who could easily be completely beyond redemption is absolutely pitch-perfect.

The more episodes you watch, the more you find yourself becoming strangely endeared to his mannerisms and tics, despite the fact that his attitude makes him a thoroughly unpleasant man. Aside from superb comic timing, Rossiter was also a master of the pratfall, so some of the most memorable sequences owe a lot to slapstick (I'm thinking particularly of the arranged boxing match.) It isn't quite a one man show though. All of the supporting parts were perfectly cast, so even when someone like Don Warrington pops up in more modern fare such as "Red Dwarf", he's still likely to be instantly associated with playing "Phillip" in "Rising Damp". I can't think of a bad episode in the bunch that I've seen. All of the scripts are so polished that they gleam, and this combined with the acting talent is what makes the show stick in the memory as the loved favourite it is. Was the above review useful to you? 6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: A truly great sitcom from United Kingdom 27 February 2007 Looking back now it is clear that most of the great comedies of the 1970s were made by the BBC.

The commercial ITV network often had hit shows but few seem to have stood the test of time. In addition its nature as a patchwork of different companies perhaps made it difficult for comedies to grow and find an audience. Rising Damp is an exception to this; a comedy made by one of the ITV comedies that approached moments of pure genius and is just as funny now as when it was made. A top rate cast worked well together to create characters that are funny and believable. In addition top quality scripts make every episode a gem. A later film version simply did not work and should be avoided. Was the above review useful to you? 4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Classic comedy of the 70's 2 July 2008 *** This review may contain spoilers *** This deservedly rates as ten-out-ten. Sure, it only ran for 27 episodes, but when you mention this to anyone, they can't believe it only ran for that amount - that's a sure sign that in its short run over four years it had the desired impact. Leonard Rossiter was at the top of his game in this/the '70's.

Miserly landlord Rigsby (Rossiter) is always at odds with his regular tenants, Alan (Richard Beckinsale), Phillip (Don Warrington)and Miss(Ruth)Jones (Frances De La Tour). Phillip, being a black African chief especially incurred Rigsby's bigoted racist wrath. Strangely, Phillip's African chief was exposed as a sham in the film version. (Which it has to be said, included scripts from the series and wasn't too good, especially with another character filling the void for the late Beckinsale). Wherever there's debate, or another new tenant to either criticise, or get on the good side of, it created a classic comedy situation. Rigsby constantly tried to bed the unimpressed Miss Jones (as he always called her), who, ironically for him, was sex-starved and seeking attention. The excellent Henry McGhee played a suave, posh 'conman' tenant named 'Seymour' in one episode, whom Rigsby played up to but fell foul of.

(So much so, that although McGhee was already a stalwart from 'The Benny hill Show', he mentioned that more people called out to him in the street "Hey, Seymour!" remembering his role in 'RD'). Rigsby's selfish, bigoted attitude provided some great slanging matches between him and the regular tenants. Temporarily with Ms De La Tour's departure for a few episodes, Canadian actress Gay Rose provided the younger character, Brenda for us all. Although pretty non-descript and not a replacement, she still held her own against Rigsby, whilst finally making Alan come out of his shell with the opposite sex. Richard Beckinsale was absent for one series, but it still made its mark. (A popular comedy actor, he was starring in the excellent 'Porridge' prison comedy in the '70's as well). Everyone has a favourite episode, but while they may have a least favourite, that and others are still great in their own right. Writer, Eric Chappell excelled with this comedy and although he had other successes, this has to be his finest.

It has to be said that the PC brigade have got their teeth in to the series when repeated (cut), at least on British channel ITV3/4 which misses the point, especially as it wasn't originally shown in this edited version - however offensive to some, to display Rigsby's right-wing and bigoted views and to have him brought down to earth. A good episode which demonstrates this, to check out, is 'Food Glorious Food', on the subject of poverty, charity, race - perfect fodder for Rigsby's ranting! I just had to buy the DVD box set of this, and so should any situation comedy fan. Was the above review useful to you? 3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: MAGNIFICENT! The comedy classic of the seventies! 17 February 2007 *** This review may contain spoilers *** Make no mistake Rising Damp is the best t.v comedy of the 70's and of all-time! The programme revolves around the most lecherous, cantankerous, nasty, racist, rude mannered person you are ever likely to see on British television.

Yet despite all this it's hard not to feel sorry for landlord Rupert Rigsby (played to perfection by the late Leonard Rossiter) as you certainly get the feeling that he is a victim a circumstance and this leads to his sometimes tactless approach to life. Rigsby was very much in love with Miss Jones (one of his tenants) and this led to some of the show's most hilarious scenes with him trying and failing miserably to get her attention romantically. Thankfully the scriptwriters didn't go the same way that most most forthcoming American t.v shows would go with the two leads eventually getting together after many mishaps (Moonlighting, 6 Million dollar man and Lois and Clark to name but few) as this would have done to rising damp what it did to them (effectively killed them off). Another key part of the programme was the relationship between Phillip (Don Warrington playing a fellow tenant at rigsby's flat) and rigsby. Phillip used to flirt like mad with Miss Jones (mainly to annoy Rigsby) and miss Jones adored Phillip whilst Rigsby was always left being sidelined but still defiant and trying everything in his power to come between them.

Also living in rigsby's place of residence Was Alan (played superbly by the late Richard Beckinsale who died far too young) who was a student with many opposing views to rigsby's. This led to many great comedic arguments (mainly about the permissive society) between them and created some of the programme's greatest moments (and there were many). A semi-regular character was next door neighbour Spooner an ex-army boxer who also from time to time would but rigsby in his place. All in all this is a fantastic ensemble comedy with marvellous spot on performances from the main leads and is a comedy that should be treasured for years to come. Was the above review useful to you? 3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: One of the high water marks of British Comedy from United States 19 December 2010 Until I saw a documentary on Leonard Rossiter as a bonus on the video of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (one of my favorite British series), I knew nothing about Rising Damp. Based on the clips, I knew I had to see this series if it was available. Thankfully, all four series and the motion picture are on DVD.

The writing is sensational and the cast is wonderful; the chemistry between them is as good as can be imagined. But as good as they all are (and it is particularly good to see some of the work of Richard Beckinsale), Rossiter is the star without question. He is brilliant; one cannot imagine anyone else playing this part. He took me totally by surprise. As good as he was in Perrin, his timing and delivery here are just amazing; he is clearly one of the great actors of his generation. These words are not written lightly. While it is possible that this series is not seen on U.S. television because of Rigsby's racist statements, one has to look at this in the context of the seventies, when television was exposing many different realities to audiences, and they were loving it (remember the Jeffersons and Good Times?). If Archie Bunker is still to be found on television, there is no reason why Rigsby shouldn't be seen either. Another possible reason is that this is not a BBC or Granada series. At least it lives on DVD in the U.S., and if you are a British comedy fan, this is way up there. Was the above review useful to you?

16 out of 30 people found the following review useful: Classic Seventies comedy from Port Elizabeth, South Africa 6 May 2002 There is an annoying tendency among certain people, especially in my country, to gain some sort of smug satisfaction from being able to say "Oh, I love British humour" as if this somehow gives them an air of intelligence and satisfaction. Now, while I have yet to see an American sitcom that matches the subtlety and sly humour of "Yes, Minister", or the sheer inventiveness of "The fast show", in the same breath brilliant American comedies like "MASH" and "Seinfeld" could simply not have been made in England. The aforegoing paragraph could easily have served as an introduction to a review of a truly abysmal British comedy like "Absolutely fabulous" as a means of illustrating my point, or even for a review of a silly comedy like "The Goodies" to lend credence to my contention that not all British humour is sophisticated. However, I have instead decided on a classic comedy of the Seventies, "Rising damp". The shows two stars, Leonard Rossiter and Richard Beckinsale are both deceased, the latter at a tragically young age.

Rossiter is Rupert Rigsby (as far as I know his first name was only mentioned in the disappointing 1980 film version), the tightfisted and mean spirited owner of a lodging house. Beckinsale is Alan, a student boarder. The other cast members were Don Warrington and Frances de la Tour. de la Tour is Ruth Jones, an unhappy spinster with whom Rigsby is in lust, and Warrington is Philip, an African student lusted after in turn by Miss Jones. Most of the show's humour was derived by the witty and often biting dialogue, and kudos must go to the series' scriptwriters. Sadly, in keeping with British tradition only 27 episodes were ever made, despite the show running for years. Those 27 episodes, however, must be savoured. Was the above review useful to you?

Page 1 of 2: Don Warrington: Rigsby's a racist - but that's not the real issue - Telegraph Theatre Don Warrington: Rigsby's a racist - but that's not the real issue Don Warrington, star of the TV show Rising Damp, chats to Dominic Cavendish about directing the stage version, and about fame and racism in Britain. Don Warrington will direct the return of Rising Damp. Photo: Martin Pope Follow When Don Warrington got a call asking him whether he wanted to direct Rising Damp on stage – exactly 40 years after he himself starred in the stage-play that resulted in one of the best-loved sitcoms of all time – he laughed. “This came as a complete surprise,” he explains, sitting in the rehearsal rooms at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory , amid a mock-up of the boarding-house that helped both define the show and sum up the grotty, ungentrified Seventies. “I was on tour with Driving Miss Daisy, and my agent rang to say there was an offer for me to direct Rising Damp. The idea just made me burst out laughing. There’s a neatness about it. I can see that.

I asked my agent to read the script – she later rang back and said, 'I spent 90 happy minutes laughing away.' I thought, OK – then it must be alright. So I decided to say yes.” It’s impossible to overstate how unfussed Warrington seems to be about Rising Damp being reborn, with himself – one of the enduringly popular show’s four principal actors (two of whom, of course, are long dead) – at the helm. “I don’t know whether there’s an appetite out there for it,” he admits, and even adds: “I said to myself 'Would I go and see it?’ I wouldn’t. I just wouldn’t.” In conversation, he displays the same leisurely, lordly, amused, well-spoken manner that, in character as Philip Smith, a student of Town and Country Planning and the supposed son of an African Chief, so used to wind up Leonard Rossiter’s Rupert Risgby, as the ever-angst, sardonic landlord flailed around in a miasma of suspicion, jealousy and toe-curling bigotry.

Related Articles James Graham: 'It was like Parliament on acid' 15 May 2013 Warrington, shortly to turn 61, first tried his hand at directing at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2010. His interest in this project is a pragmatic one. “I took the view: if it’s a bus I’ll get on it – and see where it goes. I enjoy directing – this was an opportunity and I’ve given it no more significance than that,” he drawls. “The show was a long time ago and it doesn’t exist in the same way for me as it does for other people. It’s ever-present on TV . It’s not ever-present in my life.” Even though he’s bringing no possessive claim to the piece – which hasn’t only been authorised but authored too by Rising Damp’s surviving creator Eric Chappell – using elements of the originating stage-play, The Banana Box, with gratings from the TV series – he’s not so offhand as to be outright dismissive. If you ask him to name his favourite episode or scene, he can’t oblige. He remembers certain lines – but that’s because he thinks they’re broadly memorable.

He has no trace of interest in interposing the way he or the original cast approached things for this reheated version – the actors, including Cornelius Macarthy as Philip and Stephen Chapman as Rigsby, are being given carte blanche to make the roles work afresh on their own terms. And yet he has robust opinions about the cultural context, and significance, of the show itself – and holds strong memories of the TV recordings. Rising Damp (1974-1978) was ground-breaking in using comedy to explore the dynamic between a white man and black man and exposing attitudes to race and prejudice. That was implicit in the title of Chappell’s breakthrough play The Banana Box, which derived from a comment made in a debate about the entitlement of non-British-born residents to call themselves British: “If a cat has kittens in a banana box, what do you get – kittens or bananas?” Born in Trinidad but brought to England by his mother in early childhood – his father, the politician Basil Kydd, remained behind and died in 1958 – he grew up in Newcastle. He remembers the attitudes of the time. “I knew the world the show describes.

I grew up being one black person among lots of white people. I was used to prejudice. It happened. I quickly learnt how to become part of where I was. I think you have to confront the fact that Rigsby’s views were the views that were commonly held and they may still be for all I know by a lot of people,” he continues. “People not much older than me have told me when they came to this country that they were seriously asked questions like, 'Do you still have a tail?’ “In a way, it was done with a kind of naivety – it was just stunning ignorance – and if you had said, 'This is an outrageous thing to ask me', they would have been very upset.” Rigsby’s comments do, he avers, stray into pure racism: “He’s a racist, there’s no question about it – but that’s not the real issue.” It’s the character interplay that counts and why this period-specific sitcom has stood the test of time: “What helped was the dispelling of a myth, and the myth was about black people. If you present something which is the opposite of that myth you begin to undermine it. I think that’s where Rising Damp helped.

The difficulty for Rigsby lies in observing somebody who is exactly who he would like to be – apart from the fact that he is black – and that’s very confusing for him.” Warrington was first cast as Philip when the play was revived on tour in 1973, having had an earlier tryout in Leicester, in which Wilfrid Brambell starred as Rigsby (then called “Rooksby”); it went to the West End for a short spell but it was because the production had been caught earlier on tour in Newcastle by the then Head of Light Entertainment at Yorkshire Television, John Duncan, that it made the leap to the small-screen. When that happened, the primary emotion Warrington recalls is one of high anxiety, not unbounded enjoyment. “It was my first job on television. What I remember is not the execution but the state I was in, the terror of doing it – of recording on a Friday night in front of a live studio audience, and the sense of responsibility to the other actors.” He still sees Frances de la Tour, who played the immortal Miss Jones, and unhesitatingly praises her as “a great actress”.

He holds Rossiter in similarly high esteem, recalling his fastidious attention to detail rather than any of his oft-reputed tetchiness. (“He would be rigorous but he was very generous to me.”) And he believes Richard Beckinsale (medical student Alan) was on his way to greatness too, before he died of a heart attack in 1979, aged just 31: “It was an incredible shock – at that age you don’t think about death.” Warrington has clearly negotiated difficult patches of career unemployment since Rising Damp – his CV is an interesting jumble of minor and major stage credits, sudden reappearances on TV (he has recently featured on ads for Kenco, and has a supporting role in the exotic BBC crime series Death in Paradise). The success of the show didn’t open many of the right kind of doors – and he admits he failed to recognise some that were. “I wasn’t terribly interested in fame. There was stuff that came that meant I could have built on that sort of success, but I didn’t do it because stupidly I thought, 'There’s another world out there’.

"I was looking for legitimacy – but I’ve found that legitimacy doesn’t come that way.” Still, having married, had two sons, both of whom are following in his footsteps into acting, he’s doing pretty OK, as it is. Later this year he will star in a “black” version of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons for Talawa Theatre at the Manchester Royal Exchange. And before that he’ll be heading off to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe to film a new series of Death in Paradise. “I’d feel ridiculous saying that I have it tough. I’ll be on the beach out there, in the sun. That’s really not a grind, is it?” Rising Damp is on at the Blackpool Grand until May 18. Tickets: 01253 290111; blackpoolgrand.co.uk. Full tour details: risingdampontour.com

Question: In the comedy series 'Rising Damp', what was 'Rigsby's' christian name?
Answer: RUPERT